The in box. “Believe it or not you old guys are no longer the center of the universe.”

Fred,

You guys are going to talk yourselves out of what few benefits you have left. Keep bleating about a graduated income tax, the constitution, blah, blah, blah. You are better off letting your elected leaders cut your losses and negotiate to protect your retirees, solidify your pension system, and quite possibly keep some state subsidy for retiree health insurance. If they cannot mitigate some of this damage you’ll be at the mercy of the courts. Just like arbitration, your chances in court are 50-50 at best regardless of the circumstances. Do you want to take that chance? I already know that answer. So wear your black shirts, try to obstruct your leaders efforts, talk tough, make a lot of noise downstate and see where all of that gets you. It is always a tough concept for a lot of teachers to understand that there are actually people who may know a little more than they do and that they are not always right no matter how much noise they make.By the way, the cost shift is constitutional. So is taxing your retirement income and tripling the cost of your retiree health insurance. You might not have to choose between health insurance and your inflated COLA. The insurance will be unaffordable. Negotiate and make a deal. That’s what unions are supposed to do.

Talk to a teacher under 60 once in a while. Talk to a two tier teacher and ask them how they feel about fighting for your COLA and your health insurance when you retire at 55.. They don’t care and just want to keep their jobs. Believe it or not you old guys are no longer the center of the universe.

– Bill

Bill,

Ouch.

You know, Bill. The thing about us old guys is we don’t say things like, “…the constitution, blah, blah, bah.”

And I haven’t thought I was the center of the universe since Mr. Blitztein’s science class when I studied Copernicus.

By the way, Mr. Blitztein really was convinced that nobody knew more than he did.

Like this:

4 Replies to “The in box. “Believe it or not you old guys are no longer the center of the universe.””

Bill I am a two tier teacher under 60 and I do care about fighting for COLA and health insurance. Yes I am happy to have a job but I do not think that means I will be bullied to take anything they shove down my throat and say “yes, sir may I have another”. Do not speak for anyone else other than yourself unless you have real facts to back it up, not your “gut” feeling or opinion. You do not speak for me or us, you speak for yourself, that is absolutely fine to have your own opinion, and maybe you speak for the people you know but let them speak their own mind however “they” are not “everyone”. Do not assume every person holds your opinion because you are so passionate about your own opinion or your friends/acquaintances or the people you come in contact with say they agree with you, that is not “everyone” that is your circle. You sound like the news now days, full of unsubstantiated facts and broad generalizations with no real unbiased data to back it up, opinions sold as facts and absolutes. Phrases like “The American people want or the American people need” as if they or you know what we are all thinking, need or want.

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